Archive for the 'Game Reports' Tag Under 'Ducks' Category

NEWARK, N.J. – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night …

With a playoff spot sewn up and a Pacific Division title that’s all but clinched, the Ducks have the opportunity to give one of their veterans a game off for some added rest before the all-consuming grind of the championship season begins.

But Coach Bruce Boudreau may not be on board with that theory. For instance, they’ve only got the four games left and they’re over the span of nearly two full weeks. There is enough rest to be gained with the extra off days.

“We talked about that,” Boudreau said. “And I’ve been a part of that. I talked to (General Manager) Bob (Murray) about that. More times than not, it doesn’t work.”

Boudreau cited how many changes were made to his 2009-10 Washington Capitals team that won 54 games and finished first overall in the NHL. The moves, he thought, left them with perhaps too many quality bodies around.

BOSTON – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 3-2 overtime win over the Boston Bruins …

-- In reality, the Ducks’ next game on Saturday against the New York Islanders will be the true test to whether they’re really committed to playing grinding, playoff-style hockey but this one game was a start.

The Ducks backed up their tough talk to the media and amongst themselves when it came to ending their loose, risky play as the postseason begins to appear on the horizon. Against a desperate Boston team, they hit (44 of them credit), defended and played smart.

But as it often is, this team revolves around Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. How they go in the playoffs will determine how far they go.

So it was fitting that the two were front and center in the late comeback, with Perry tipping in Getzlaf’s shot with 38.5 seconds left in regulation and Getzlaf pulling out a win with his laser past a partially screened Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in overtime.

NEW YORK – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday night …

-- The question has arisen before and it’ll continue to surface as each game passes and no decisive pronouncement has been made.

We know that John Gibson and Frederik Andersen are in the running to be the Ducks’ goalie that’ll start the playoffs but we don’t know who it is. If Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau already has who it is in mind, he’s not in the mood of sharing. And it is possible he doesn’t now.

It would appear that Gibson has the edge if you look at his work while Andersen was out with a neck injury and his continued success after his net-mate returned. And Andersen hasn’t helped himself with some erratic work since coming back.

After stopping 22 shots in a 3-2 overtime win over Colorado on Friday, Andersen got a plum start against a top team in the Rangers and fumbled it. Three goals on seven shots and the not-so-Great Dane was on the bench after just 10 minutes and 16 seconds.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 2-1 win over Minnesota on Friday night …

-- The Ducks have won six straight at Xcel Energy Center with all the victories coming by a goal. One-goal victories are, of course, their specialty.

You figure that defenseman Clayton Stoner got a kick out of it. Stoner played his first five seasons with the Wild and said the game had a certain playoff feel “where you got to push a little extra.”

“Just the atmosphere here in this building,” Stoner said, wearing a big smile. “It’s playoff-type hockey tonight. Tight checking. Loud building. Not a lot of mistakes. You had to work for your room on the ice.

“They’re a great team but I think we did a great job limiting their scoring chances in the middle of the ice. They had some shots but it was a lot of wide-angle shots.”

ANAHEIM – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 3-0 home loss to Ottawa on Wednesday night …

-- Whatever is being said between the first and second periods within the Ducks’ dressing room, the message isn’t getting through.

The Ducks were decisively outplayed again during the middle stanza and it particularly isn’t a good thing when you’re already down a goal after one. Mika Zibanejad’s rebound goal and the lack of a counter from the home team widened the season disparity to 11 goals in the negative.

It hasn’t always been that way but the second periods have been horrid lately. They’ve been outscored 11-2 over the last six games. They’re 74 goals allowed is the most in the NHL.

EDMONTON, Alberta – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 2-1 win over Edmonton on Saturday night …

-- On Friday, it was a team that had enough and used its anger productively. Less than a full day later, it was about not going back to square one.

The Ducks are supposed to beat the Oilers, a team that’s spinning its wheels as it again heads toward the draft lottery. But this is the NHL and even the bad teams can rise up on a given night. Especially when this one figured to show more than it did in a dreadful 4-0 loss to Minnesota the night before.

And the Ducks knew that. Edmonton gave a much better effort. But they couldn’t afford to give away all they gained in a stirring third-period comeback in Calgary that propelled them to a 6-3 win to halt a 3-6-1 slide.

“I was thinking all day that it was a really big game,” Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Especially with us going home and having to play Detroit, Ottawa and L.A., teams that have been playing pretty well. It was a big win for us. It wasn’t pretty.”

ANAHEIM – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 5-3 home loss to Washington …

-- Winning in Carolina to end a road trip proved to be a win and nothing much else. It surely wasn’t a cure-all for the Ducks.

The energy that was missing on the road returned when they got back to Honda Center. The Ducks were skating once again with some pace and with Washington going with struggling backup Justin Peters in net, they were able to translate that into some early goals.

“We played the start of the game great,” center Ryan Getzlaf said. “The first four shifts of the game, I don’t think the puck was in our zone. We were definitely ready to play. That’s a good sign for our group.”

Now push that aside. The Ducks haven’t gotten rid of other issues that are plaguing them during a 3-5-1 slump. Yes, it can be now qualified as a slump.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 2-1 road win at Carolina on Thursday night …

-- Time to be teased again.

John Gibson did this back in late October. Made you think the next great American goalie had arrived when he went into United Center and shut out mighty Chicago, 1-0, with 38 saves. Or at least had you wanting to make him a fixture on your fantasy team.

Two games later, Gibson was in pain with a groin injury that would keep him out of action for eight weeks. The Ducks were fine with Frederik Andersen ably carrying the load but Gibson would have to start back at square one in Norfolk.

Through no fault of his own, Gibson was back in the minors having to prove that he could stay in the net for a long stretch without getting hurt. He’s had injury issues before and the Ducks thought they had someone who could win them a game here and there in veteran Ilya Bryzgalov.

SUNRISE, Fla. – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 6-2 loss to Florida on Tuesday night …

-- Losing in one-sided fashion to a team that could be the Stanley Cup Final representative out of the Eastern Conference is one thing. Getting boat-raced for a second straight time, this one at the hands of a young Panthers squad for the second time this season is another.

There is a real air of concern around the Ducks now. Not in the sense of a strong season falling apart but more in that they’re now failing to correct the problems that creep into their game from time to time.

Defense and goaltending have been their running chief question marks and they didn’t provide any hopeful answers against a team that’s still a year away from playoff competition.

“I don’t want to single anybody out or anything but I mean we’re concerned with the amount of goals we’re giving up,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We’re a team that was in the top 10 defensively last year. And we think we’re a better team. We’re concerned about it.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Some notes, quotes and other musings from the Ducks’ 5-2 road win over Nashville on Thursday night …

-- Jakob Silfverberg had a big night with two goals and a team-leading six shots but it was his impressive shorthanded goal in the first period that settled an unsettled group shaken by the last-second scratch of captain Ryan Getzlaf.

The Ducks were also going up against Nashville star goalie Pekka Rinne, whom they didn’t have to face in Anaheim on Jan. 4. Rinne was coming off an eight-game absence due to a knee injury and entered the contest with an NHL-leading 29 wins and a 1.96 goals-against average.

As it turns out, the league’s top team faced a goalie that needed to shake off some rust first. Silfverberg took advantage of a misplay by Rinne as he tried to get the puck to Predators defenseman Shea Weber and beat the scrambling netminder with a backhand shot. Andrew Cogliano started the whole process with an effective clear that the winger could get to.

“It doesn’t matter who you play,” Silfverberg said. “You always want to strike early. But of course we knew that this was his first game back. He’s obviously been gone for a couple of weeks.